A Bit of Earth
by music-lover275
Summary: Her relationship with Shunsui Kyouraku was odd to say the least. AU, Shunsui x Nanao. Plenty of musical goodness!
1. High on a Hill

I had the idea for this fic almost a year ago, I guess, so I decided to give it a try (at last). I'm not really that into theater, but I have a healthy respect for all things musical!

Kubo Tite, not I, owns bleach.

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_Chapter One: High on a Hill_

It was still dark when Nanao Ise pulled up to St. Cecilia's. The school looked grand and imposing in the half-dark of the early morning, and as she took a sip of her chai tea, she shuddered. God, how she hated the school (though this, of course, was something she would never admit). Having slogged through four years of it herself, she could certainly commiserate with its current student population.

She made a face at her tea mug, regretting that she'd used the last of her Secret Santa Starbuck's gift card on the stuff. _Why couldn't I remember that I hated chai tea fifteen minutes ago?_

Exiting her car gracefully, she grabbed her thread-barren backpack from the backseat before cautiously making her way up the sandy staircase to the backdoor of the school. Sighing, she looked down at the parking lot. It was certainly a breathtaking campus, impeccably manicured at all times of the year, and situated right on the ocean. Nanao delicately shoved her key in the lock, turning with just enough force to move the cogs that kept it closed.

The hall was dark, save a single light from an office down the hall. She walked towards it, taking another swig of the bland tea as she went. As she drew closer, she groaned loudly and swore under her breath. There was a reason she had come in to work a full three hours early, and it most certainly was not to be harassed by her boss. Nanao stood apprehensively by the open door for a few moments, covered by the protective darkness of its shadow, before knocking lightly on the wood paneling.

Shunsui Kyouraku's head poked out into view. A goofy smile immediately pasted itself on his face.

"Ah, Nanao! I thought I heard your lovely groan. Pray, what have you come here for?" He scowled softly, causing Nanao's heart to jump. "You should be asleep. I know that you've been ill lately."

Nanao marched into the small office, lugging her bag behind her. "Well, I had some stuff to take care of."

"What's in that bag?" Once more, Shunsui scowled. "Here, let me take it."

Nanao swung it up onto her chair heavily. "No need. And it's full of librettos, unfortunately," She slid into another chair, closer to Kyouraku's. "I'm on tap to help Mr. Kuchiki with the auditions today, and apparently that includes manual labor," she rubbed her shoulder. "He also owes me over a hundred dollars."

Shunsui laughed, a deep, warm sound that echoed off the wooden walls of the small room. "That expensive? Surely the school will reimburse you."

Nanao snorted. "Probably not. I guess it's some sort of hazing; you know, torture the student teacher and all that jazz. But Kuchiki's a nice man, I'm sure we'll come to some sort of an arrangement." She took another sip of the tea and cringed. "Have you made any coffee yet? This is disgusting."

"No, not yet," He arose from his swivel chair. "Let me get some for you, though," She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off swiftly. "I insist."

Any other day she would have swept across the office and made the coffee herself, but today she was just too damn tired. Her relationship with Shunsui Kyouraku was odd to say the least. There were the moments, such as these, when he would demonstrate his quiet caring towards her, but there were also the moments (these she detested) were he would flirt with her shamelessly, in front of anyone and everyone without a care in the world. Of course, any time he looked at her, her heart would flutter dangerously fast, and an unwitting blush would rise to her cheeks. She didn't acknowledge it had anything to do with him, though. No, it was too hot in the classrooms, or she had been sick lately and it was probably a mild fever. If nothing else, Nanao was marvelous at repressing unbidden emotions.

"So what are you doing?" He asked quietly. He never spoke loudly when it was just the two of them together, and his pleasant baritone rumbled about the room. "I heard _Sweeney Todd_, but that doesn't sound right."

Nanao nodded silently before answering, "We _are_ doing _Sweeney Todd_, but think of it as the varsity musical, I guess. Frosh-Soph is going to be _The Secret Garden_."

Shunsui laughed. "Frosh-Soph?"

"Yes, Frosh-Soph. Haven't you heard that before?'

"No, not really," he chuckled again, sitting back down in his chair. "It's gonna be a little bit for the coffee," Nanao smiled, tugging the weighty backpack off of her chair and scooting closer to the desk. She had a lot of paperwork to fill out; the school had just recently gotten a grant, and the literature department was in dire need of some new materials. She heard her boss chuckle quietly again. "So, _Sweeney Todd_? That's going to be…" he broke off briefly, smiling. "Quite an undertaking."

Nanao swiveled around in her chair, paperwork still in hand and slightly annoyed. Couldn't he see that she was trying to do something? "Indeed, but Mr. Kuchiki is anything if not ambitious. I was in a production of it a couple of years ago, though, and I do believe that several faculty members have past experience, so we aren't going in completely blind."

"Really? Oh, wait, I think I'd heard that somewhere. You were Johanna, correct?" Nanao nodded, smiling. She'd always been proud of landing that role, especially since she had only been a freshman at the time. "It's hard music."

Nanao nodded again. "Dissonant," she said. "_Secret Garden_ is different, though. Very pretty, and there's a lovely waltz. Ms. Unohana is sure to be pleased."

"I'm sure. And in what, um, capacity are to be involved with these shows?" A strange, almost longing tone had crept into his voice.

She eyed him curiously, though she didn't look him directly in the eye. "Well, I have not yet been informed, but I'd imagine that my involvement will be quite heavy. Why?"

Shunsui smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll miss you, is all. You always brighten up my day." Nanao blushed furiously, and looked back down at the pale, baby pink sheets of paper, chewing on the cap of her pen. "Your beauty and intellect never cease to astound me, love." She hated when he did this. The conversation would be flowing along nicely, easily, and then out of left field he would hit her with something like that.

Nanao cleared her throat delicately, anxious to change the subject. "So, I was thinking maybe a five more copies of _One Hundred Years of Solitude_, maybe," she said, making a mark on the top sheet. "Maybe _Brideshead Revisited_ and some Kurt Vonnegut too. I've always liked him."

Dear God, today was going to be long.

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All of you guys should check out _The Secret Garden_! The musical is not really that well known, but the music is lovely. So review, please! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	2. Show Me the Key

Here's the second chapter! I'm really excited for this story, as you may or may not have been able to tell. I would really encourage everyone to look up both _Secret Garden_ and _Sweeney Todd_! It's not of great import, but it would help to understand some of the stuff and in general they are two fantastic and interesting productions.

As always, Kubo Tite owns Bleach, _Sweeney_ is the property of Stephen Sondheim, and _The Secret Garden _is owned by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon.

I'm sorry I didn't get this up sooner! I've been ill and preoccupied.

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_Chapter Two: Show Me the Key_

Nanao smiled encouragingly at the small boy on the stage. "Thank you very much, Toushirou. We'll certainly let you know as soon as is possible," she said softly. The theater had lovely acoustics; sound carried very well. Looking back down at her notes, she asked, "Is there anyone else?"

Toushirou Hitsugaya shook his head. "No one else, Ms. Ise."

Nanao nodded, making a mark on his paper. "Very well, then. You may leave." She turned slightly towards Byakuya Kuchiki, meeting his gaze and smiling slightly. "Thank goodness that's all over with."

"Indeed. What did you think?"

Slightly taken aback, she replied slowly, "Well, I was thinking that Toushirou would make an excellent Colin. Do—" she paused, apprehensive. "Do you concur?"

He nodded. "I was thinking somewhere along the same lines, yes. I think he would be fitting. What about Dickon?"

"Maybe Hanatoro, if Retsu can spare him."

"Yes, I think he would do nicely. And I was thinking maybe Momo Hinamori for Martha," he arose swiftly from his uncomfortable wooden chair, gathering his things as he went. "Come, we should be getting back."

Nanao arose as well, clutching her notebook to her chest. "I'm supposed to have a meeting with the rest of the lit department in—" she glanced down at her watch. "Half and hour, so that gives us some time."

"Hm, good. What did you think about the upperclassman, then? We're incredibly lucky this semester."

Nanao smiled. "Ichigo Kurosaki was wonderful. I think if he applied himself he could be splendid."

"Agreed," he said, walking up the narrow aisle. "We'll give him a callback for Sweeney, then. I'm pleased that you think so highly of him."

Nodding, she gracefully dashed up the aisle. "Maybe Uryuu Ishida as well, though I think he's better suited for Anthony, as it is," she said, furrowing her brow. Mr. Kyouraku's question from before niggled in the back of her brain, demanding to be answered even as she tried in vain to forget it and its implications. Nanao sighed, drawing a look from Byakuya.

"Is something the matter?"

"Well, no, not really. It's just…" she fiddled with a button on her shirt. "Kyouraku wants to know how heaviliy I'm going to be involved with the show. Not important, really, since I don't really do _that_ much in his department, but it seemed to matter to him."

They stopped in front of the lit office, and though it appeared to be empty, Nanao's heart skipped a beat anyways. "I was hoping that you could be my assistant," Byaykuya replied. Nanao's eyes widened and she bit her lip. "Though if Shunsui has any qualms regarding that, I can speak to him, arrange something."

"Oh, no, I'm sure it will be fine with him. I think he just wanted to know, you know, for planning and… stuff," she finished lamely, blushing. She turned the knob of the old wooden door quickly, suddenly burning and eager to get away, though she had no reason to be. "I have some work to do, for the meeting and, um, the grant, so…"

Byakuya smiled at her knowingly. "Of course, I wouldn't want to encroach on your productivity. We'll have to meet tomorrow morning, though. How does seven sound?"

Nanao nodded, half of her body already through the door. "Sure! Sounds great, um, just—just great… I'll bring my notebook, then, I guess."

Byakuya fought the urge to laugh. Why in the world was she acting so silly? Her composure had completely dissolved in under a minute. "All right. See you then." He turned sharply and breezed down the hall, an amused smile on his handsome face as he went.

-------

As always, Nanao was the first person in the small, cramped room for the weekly meeting. Settling into the chair, she organized first her pencils, than her pens, and than, as time wore on, the Sour-Patch Kids she had bought almost a week ago. She was just about done setting them up in alphabetical order by color when Shunsui swept in, a suspiciously large bag in hand. Nanao groaned.

"Dear God, tell me you_ didn't_."

"Oh, I did," he said, laughing. "But only because I know how much you like it."

Nanao buried her face in her arms. "Why? Why did you go out of your way to get that stupid ice cream? You're twenty minutes late!"

Setting the pink box down on the table, Shunsui grinned and flipped open his notebook. "As I said before, I'd noticed you looked a bit frazzled, so I hiked over the uncharted wolf territory and through a blizzard to get it for you." Nanao glared up at him accusingly.

"One, there is not a wolf around for miles, two, it's, like, seventy degrees, and three, you never said any of that before."

"What if I told you I had to fight a man for this?"

"Then I wouldn't believe you."

"He was _really_ strong."

"Still not buying it."

"Ah, Nanao," Shunsui shook his head slowly. "You are too cruel. But you _are_ going to eat it, right?"

"Of course!" She arose quickly from the table, and rifling through a plastic bag stuffed haphazardly in a cupboard, she produced three plastic spoons and an old fork. Throwing those on the table, she moved on to find bowls. "I cannot believe you did that. Traffic must have been horrendous. Where's Tatsufusa? I thought he was coming."

Shunsui stretched out in the chair. "I gave him the afternoon off," he said, grabbing a fork.

"You gave him the afternoon off?" She paused, turning around. "Can you do that?"

"I dunno," he said, shrugging. "Not like it really matters, though, because the day is over now."

"Ha!" Nanao cried, clutching a chipped china bowl and a ceramic plate in her small hands. "Here's one, and a plate. Which one do you want?" She set them both down on the table and Shunsui lazily picked up the plate.

"I'll take this one. It'll go with my fork, eh?" Nanao snatched the plastic piece of cutlery out of his hands.

"One does not eat ice cream with a fork. We have perfectly good spoons," she admonished. She reached over for the cold ice cream, moving to open the lid.

"I wanted to do that that!" he cried, covering her dainty hand with his large, tan one. She looked up as her breath caught in her throat, gasping softly at the contact. His hand was warm and rough, though not in the way that made her want to pull away, and she bit her lip when he locked eyes with her.

He had such beautiful eyes, she thought. It wasn't like they were some exotic shade; no, they were simply brown, just like most of the people that she knew. But there was something different about his, as cheesy as it sounded; they were so undeniably _him_ that she had to smile.

Gently, surreptitiously, she removed her hand from his grasp and averted her eyes. Nanao reached for the tub of ice cream quickly.

"How did your classes go today?"

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Fine. Though I'm sure they would have been better had you been with me."

Nanao paused in her ministrations and blushed.

"Speaking of which," he continued, grabbing the tub away from her and scooping some into a bowl. "How is your play going? And I assume by this point that they are your plays?"

"Um, well, yeah," she replied. Taking a bowl of the coffee ice cream from her boss, she slid into a set. "Byakuya told me earlier today. I'm on in as the assistant director." She reached over the table, still avoiding his glance, and peeked in the cloth ice cream bag further. "Jesus, what did you get? There are at least ten cartons in here."

Shunsui smiled broadly. "Oh, you know, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, Oreos, M & M's, those gross chocolate peanut butter things that you like, gummy bears, and some Nerds, I think. Oh, and chocolate chips," he said, waving his new spoon for effect. He dug them out of the bag and placed them in a heap in the middle of the table. "I know how disgusting you like your ice cream to be."

"The way I eat my ice cream is not disgusting, Kyouraku," she snapped crossly. "Give me some of those gummy bears."

"Yes it is, Nanao," he said as he opened the lid of the gummy bears and handed them over. "Could you hand me the Oreos?"

"Sure," she said. "But I have, um— I have a question."

"Of course. I'm listening," he said. He stared at her attentively, making sure that she knew he wasn't just going to blow her off.

"Nevermind," she said quietly, shaking her head. "It's not of any import."

"Well," he said softly, "When you're ready to ask, I'll listen."

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Reviews are a girl's best friend, eh? I'm sorry again for taking so long to edit...


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